


Lost for Love

by wishwars



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2018-12-13 00:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11748027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishwars/pseuds/wishwars
Summary: What happens when Luna decides to play matchmaker? AU It all starts with a flat tire...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know Luna doesn't normally play matchmaker, but there are no Sailor Scouts here and no talking cats – instead, Luna is just a very intelligent, very perceptive feline who knows when two people are meant to be.

Darien sighed as he turned his rental car onto yet another dark, deserted street as he made his way to the airport. Or tried to. He wasn't quite sure how he had ended up in a residential area, so he was stuck making educated guesses in terms of which direction the highway was since his phone had run out of batteries. Darien sighed again. Maybe he needed to reevaluate Andrew's crazy notion that paper maps should make a comeback.

Luckily, Darien made it a practice to always try to get to the airport at least two hours before his flight left, and he had headed out early even by his own standards. He was sure he'd still get there with time to spare. Maybe even enough time to look over the contract he had drafted up earlier with the city council. The meeting had gone extremely well and he knew he should be pleased, but all he could think about was how soft his bed was many,  _many_  miles away in Boston. He was just about to sigh for the third time in two minutes when a loud cracking sound had him cursing and jerking the wheel around instead. And the tell-tale lilting and limping of his car quickly caused him to utter yet another string immediately after. His tire was flat.

Darien quickly pulled his car over to the side of the rode and, after banging his head on the steering wheel a few times, got out of the car to check. For a couple moments he squinted at his front tire in the dim glow of a porch light, trying to convince himself that the tire had always looked like that. Luckily, Darien didn't put much stock in fantasies. With another sigh, Darien reached into his pocket to pull out his phone, only to remember...

This time his sigh sounded more like a moan.

Turning off the car and grabbing his bag from the backseat, Darien turned to look at the building he had stopped in front of. It was a two story brick building with four doors placed quite close together, marking it as an apartment building. The only lights on, however, were the porch light he had used to examine his ill-fated vehicle and the windows next to that door. All of the other apartments looked vacant.

 _I guess this is the one_ , he thought as he walked carefully up the short set of stairs to the porch.  _Hopefully they won't think I'm a serial killer_.

Darien stared at the door for a moment, oddly fascinated by the flecks of peeled paint surrounding the steel numbers set in the middle: 254. Then, he raised his fist to the chipped paint and knocked.

_Here goes nothing._

* * *

 

Serena happily hummed as she watched the popcorn bag expand inside the microwave. Popcorn was such a good snack – not only was it delicious, but it was just so much  _fun_!

"Don't you think so, Luna?" She asked the black cat currently wending its way between her ankles. She reached down briefly to scratch Luna between her ears until the beeping of the microwave had her bouncing back up with a squeal.

She had just finished dumping the popcorn into a large bowl, while simultaneously stuffing a handful in her mouth, when she heard a knock at the door.

"Huh?" she wondered aloud, her exclamation causing a piece of popcorn to fly to the ground and into Luna's waiting mouth.

 _Who could that be, this late at night?_  She wondered as she walked toward the door.

A brief glance in the peephole showed her a head of black hair and the long, distorted face of a man. Normally, Serena would have grabbed her popcorn and hidden with Luna in her bedroom until the stranger went away – Mina made her watch way too many movies about serial killers – but she figured Alan would be out of the bathroom any second and she doubted the stranger would try anything then.

When she opened the door, she was confronted with the actual face of her late night visitor and allowed herself to appreciate his appearance for a moment before she smiled at him politely, "Can I help you?"

He was easily six feet tall, with a beautiful head of glossy, black hair. His facial features were rather sharp, but in a way that made Serena's fingers itch for a pencil, even knowing the only things she could draw were stick figures and small hearts. His eyes were a fascinating dark blue and even in the dim porch light she could tell he had a slight tan. The rest of his body was swathed in a black coat and black pants, but she assumed from his broad shoulders that his body was as beautiful as his face.

 _Definitely_  a serial killer Mina would encourage her to go with.

The stranger gave her a tight, rather embarrassed smile in return, but his voice vibrated in the air between them with a certain level of authority. "Hi. My name is Darien Chiba and I'm very sorry to disturb you so late, but my car just got a flat tire and my phone is dead." The handsome man ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged a little, staring at her feet, "Is there any chance I could come in and use your phone? I just need to call AAA and ask for someone to come with a spare and – Oh hello there."

Serena watched his eyes widen a bit in surprise before she glanced down to see Luna peeking around her pink pajama pants. "Luna, don't you go trying to escape!" She leaned down and scooped the cat up into her arms, only to come face to face with the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. His face, especially his eyes, simply lit up as he leaned forward and scratched Luna beneath her chin. Serena was rather shocked when Luna let him, and even more shocked when she realized that Luna was purring! While Serena thought Luna was a very friendly cat, she didn't often do well with strangers.

"Who's this?"

Serena spun abruptly to find her boyfriend, Alan, behind her, sizing up their late visitor.

When Serena turned back to Darien, the sparkle had left his eyes, but his easy smile remained. "Hi, I was just telling – " He paused here, glancing at Serena with his eyebrows raised.

"Serena," she supplied, with a slight smile.

"Serena," he repeated, with a nod, "that my car got a flat tire outside your building and I was hoping to use your phone to call AAA since, unfortunately, my cell phone battery is dead."

"Ah," was all Alan said, as he reached around Serena to pet Luna, incidentally pulling her towards him a bit. Serena grimaced as Luna squirmed and practically leapt out of her arms to get away, but allowed Alan to leave his arm around her shoulders. If Darien noticed Alan's rather possessive gesture, he didn't show it.

"Well," Alan continued, "you're perfectly welcome to borrow my cell phone and call them out here."

Serena almost gasped, pushing away from Alan a bit. "What? Alan!"

She turned to Darien quickly and tried to smile in what she hoped was a genuine way. "Nonsense. Please come in and use one of our phones."

When she felt Alan stiffen she turned to him pointedly. " _Inside_."

Alan stared her down for a moment, but then moved back to allow Darien inside, muttering something that was, thankfully, unintelligible.

Darien moved past Serena into her living room, murmuring a light "thank you" which she promptly waved away as she shut the door.

"If you need to use the bathroom it's the first left after the kitchen," Serena said, pointedly ignoring Alan's eye roll from the couch as Darien set his bag on the ground, quickly unzipping it and pulling a cardholder out from an inner pocket. "Otherwise you can use Alan – " but a quick glance at her boyfriend showed him intently watching the show he had just turned on, so she quickly continued, "or my cell phone. Umm, I'll just get you mine."

Darien simply smiled again and scratched Luna, who had miraculously appeared in the room again.

Serena tried not to smack a pillow in Alan's face as she walked into the kitchen, though she was sorely tempted. She didn't understand why he couldn't be as nice to others as he was to her. He didn't always get along with her friends that well either! Of course, that may not have been completely his fault… When Lita and Raye didn't like someone, they didn't do much to hide it. And Mina could put on an act so sickly sweet that even the most socially inept person would find off-putting. Something she quite prided herself on. Only Ami really tried to engage Alan in a friendly manner, but she was so quiet around him in general that it often didn't make much of a difference.

Striding into the kitchen Serena grabbed her phone. She was halfway back toward the living room when she stopped, pausing a moment, before she backtracked to grab the popcorn.  _Guests deserve snacks!_ She thought happily, as she shoved another handful in her mouth.  _And of course, so do I!_

When she arrived back in the living room, Darien had managed to engage Alan in a carefully civil discussion about some aspect of TV filming or digital manipulation or something that sounded like that. Darien politely refused the popcorn Serena offered, so she sat with Alan on the couch while he retreated toward the kitchen to call for someone to change his tire.

She watched both amused and curious as Luna padded softly after him and wound herself around his legs. Not only did Luna not like strangers – the only exception being Serena's best friends when they first came over – but she was also pretty picky about men. She hardly ever came into the same room as Alan, let alone allowed him to touch her. The way she was following Darien was just...odd.

 _And yet_ , she thought as she watched Darien tuck his phone between his ear and his shoulder in order to scoop Luna up,  _completely adorable._

* * *

 

Darien returned to the living room to find Serena and her rather prickly boyfriend, Alan, watching the latest episode of  _Game of Thrones_ , though it didn't seem to be holding her interest very well. As soon as he entered the room she turned to him and smiled.

"Everything okay?"

Darien nodded and smiled in return. It was hard not to. Minus the rather cold presence that started radiating from the other man as soon as Darien entered the room, the apartment felt warm and welcoming. Of course, he assumed that was in large part due to the rather perky blonde now kneeling on the couch with her arms over the back to talk to him. He had noticed how pretty she was as soon as she opened the door, of course – the light behind her making her hair glow a soft gold and her blue eyes large, sparkling pools of curiosity – but she also made him feel oddly at home. So did the small bundle of fur currently purring in his arms.

"Someone should be here within the hour and then I'll be on my way." When he reached the couch, Serena leaned forward to tickle Luna under her chin.

"Do you have a cat?"

Darien shook his head. "I've never had a pet before."

He almost laughed at her look of shock – he could swear her mouth actually formed a perfect 'o'. "What? Not even when you were a kid?"

Darien shrugged. "The orphanage I grew up in didn't allow pets."

"Oh."

He could tell from her bowed head she was probably feeling guilty – people often got uncomfortable when he mentioned his childhood, but he didn't mind. He may not have grown up with a regular family, but he had done okay there and made a good life for himself once he came into his inheritance. Those early years formed who he was and he wouldn't change that for the world. Still, he didn't want her to feel bad.

Searching for a new topic, he noticed a guitar leaning against the wall.

"Do you play?" He asked, gesturing as best as he could with his arms full of cat.

Serena turned and let out a tinkling laugh. "Oh no! That guitar belongs to my friend Raye. She left it here a couple nights ago so I could try it out." Serena wrinkled her nose, "She made me promise not to break it, but I don't think she has much to worry about. I'm awful."

Darien chuckled and set Luna on the ground, heading toward the guitar. "I always wanted to learn to play, but I'm afraid the only song I ever took the time to learn was the dreaded beginning to  _Smoke on the Water_."

Alan snorted and Serena giggled, as Darien hesitantly plucked out a couple bars. "Why that one?"

Darien shrugged, "It was the only song my friend Andrew knew how to play. But even just holding a guitar could impress a girl at that time, so it was enough."

Serena nodded wisely. "Guitars can be quite swoon-worthy."

Alan snorted and she nudged him lightly. "Right?"

Darien chuckled a bit at the dark look Alan sent her way and decided that was his cue to set the guitar aside.

Serena and Darien chatted lightly for the next forty minutes, though it felt more like only ten, before Darien felt his phone buzz to tell him the AAA worker had arrived. He thought he noticed a brief look of disappointment on Serena's face before it was replaced with a smile, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. He had been enjoying himself immensely.

Picking up his bag Darien grunted a bit. "I must be getting tired. This bag feels even heavier than before." He joked and was rewarded by another of her lovely smiles.

"Well, I'm very sorry you had trouble with your car, but I'm glad it happened in front of my apartment!" Serena chirped, following him to the door.

"Me too," he said. And he meant it. He had lost a lot of the time he liked to leave as a cushion for his travel, but he found he didn't mind one bit. This evening was one of the most enjoyable that he could remember in the past month. Maybe even longer.

"It was very nice to meet you both," he said, nodding politely to Alan who had not gotten up, but who did nod back at him from the couch. Darien looked around briefly for Luna, but could not see her.

Serena seemed to realize what he was doing and laid a hand on his arm. "I'll tell her you said goodbye," she whispered.

Darien smiled gratefully and made his way towards his car, waving at her one more time before she shut her door.

* * *

 

"I hope he makes his flight okay," Serena murmured, peeking out between her curtains at the two men bent over the car outside for the fifth time.

"He said he had plenty of time," Alan said, yawning, "I'm sure he'll make it no problem."

Serena heard him wander up behind her and then felt him grip the curtain near her hand. "Though I still don't get why he had to come  _inside_."

"Oh, Alan," Serena rolled her eyes, "it was only polite! Besides, he was perfectly nice."

Alan snorted and jerked the curtain closed, walking back to the couch to turn off the TV.

"And you didn't need to be so grumpy the whole time," she shot at him, ignoring his glare and then his huff when she twitched the curtain aside once more.

"Can we go to bed now?"

Serena bit back a grin. While he would get very upset if she even suggested it, Alan got quite whiny when he was tired.

Just then, Serena heard a car start and watched as Darien's headlights turned on and he drove away. She pushed away her brief sadness – while she hadn't known him long, she was sure they could have been good friends – and skipped toward Alan.

"Yup!"

* * *

 

Darien got to his gate just in time and dropped into his first class seat exhausted, not even bothering to put his bag in the overhead compartment, but simply placing it by his feet.

He thought briefly about the nice girl he had met and smiled. If he had met her in Boston, he definitely would have tried to get to know her more. Andrew was always telling him he needed to make more friends and with her it had been so easy.

But as his eyes drooped, and he felt the plane vibrate beneath him, all he could think about was how much he would like to own a cat…

Four hours later, a very tired Darien took a taxi from the airport in Boston to his office, thinking he should write up a quick report before getting some much needed sleep at home.

When his secretary saw him come in, she clicked her tongue and shook her finger in his face.

"Just what do you think you're doing here?" Molly asked, "You should be at home!"

"Good morning, Molly," Darien chuckled, "I just want to write up a brief report and then I'll be on my way."

At her raised eye brows, Darien cross his finger over his heart, "I promise."

Molly rolled her eyes, but returned to her computer as Darien entered his office. She had learned long ago that Darien liked his work far too much for his own good. But he was a good boss, and as long as he was happy, she couldn't really complain.

Darien sat down in his chair with a happy sigh. As much as he loved traveling and meeting with new clients, it was exhausting. Being home always made him feel ten pounds lighter.

He hummed softly as his computer booted up – a song that sounded suspiciously like  _Smoke on the Water_  – and then reached for his bag in order to get out his newest paperwork.

When he opened the bag, however, his neatly ordered notes and the small bag containing his toiletries was  _not_  the sight that met his eyes. No, instead he found himself staring into the face of a very familiar cat.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the timeline I present here might be a teeny bit wonky, but it makes for a better story so let's all just go with it together! (Group delusions are much more fun.)

Serena had woken up much earlier than she had hoped to Alan snoring next to her and, after placing her pillow over her head to no effect, decided she might as well get out of bed. Besides, Luna was probably hungry.

After putting her hair up in her usual buns, she wandered out into the kitchen and began to open up a can of cat food.

"I bet you're really hungry after all that excitement last night, huh?" she asked, but when she turned around with Luna's now full dish, the little black cat was nowhere to be seen.

_That's odd_ , Serena thought. Luna always came running from wherever she was when she heard a can being opened.

Serena shrugged and placed the bowl on the ground.  _Time to check the closets!_

As she was a very adventurous cat, and so small, Luna would often slip into spaces from between Serena's feet and Serena wouldn't notice she had shut a door on her cat until she meowed at her hours later to get out. Sometimes, though, she didn't meow at all, and Serena just had to walk around until she found the right closet or cupboard. Luna was a very odd cat.

After opening door upon door with no luck, Serena was a little worried, but she knew it would be easiest to search the house once Alan was gone. Luna was probably just hiding under something, pouting. She hated losing her place on Serena's bed to Alan.

At that thought, Alan gave a particularly loud snort and Serena winced. Maybe if she made breakfast he would wake up. And then, not only could she search for Luna, but he would stop making that god-awful racket.

Darien, meanwhile, was having a little trouble breathing. He stared at the black cat in his bag and she stared out at him, as if pensively waiting for him to realize his situation.

After a couple minutes of tense silence, broken only by Darien's increasingly ragged breath, Luna decided she should probably say something and so, blinking up at him with the innocence that always earned her an extra piece of tuna from Serena, she meowed.

That quickly broke him from his thoughts.

"Oh my god," he exploded softly, "You – you're – but how did you...? Oh my god."

He stood up abruptly and began pacing behind his desk. With his face no longer blocking her way, Luna jumped easily from his bag to his chair to the top of his desk.

"How did you get into my bag? And how did you – why did you – why didn't you say something?!" Darien realized, with his hands full of his own hair, that he was screaming at a cat. A very calm cat, who now sat in the middle of his desk cleaning herself as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all.

Of course, while his yelling may not have disturbed Luna, if certainly frightened his secretary, who burst in only a moment later. "What is it, Mr. Chiba? Are you okay? What happened?"

She was met with the sight of her boss looking very frazzled and a small cat she had never seen before sitting on his desk. She stopped for a moment, mouth open in shock, and then asked the rather obvious question of "When did you get a cat?"

Darien carefully extricated his hands from his hair and breathed out in a loud whoosh. "I didn't."

Molly looked at him puzzled, as there was, quite obviously, a cat perched upon his desk at that exact moment. When she gestured to the cat, he merely shrugged. "She's not mine."

Molly's eyebrows shot up and her look of surprise reminded him a little bit of Serena's only the night before. "You mean she just showed up?"

Darien shook his head as Molly walked closer and peered at the cat as if contemplating a particularly deep philosophical question. Luna paused in her cleaning to glance at Molly, but then quickly dismissed her in favor of continuing to lick her fur – it had gotten a bit ruffled in Darien's bag. "No, I mean she snuck into my bag last night."

If possible, Molly's eyebrows shot up even further. "But how did she – ?"

"My rental car got a flat in a suburb of San Francisco and I had to stop to borrow someone's phone because my battery had died."

Molly placed her hands on her hips at this and shot Darien a small glare. "How many times have I told you to buy yourself a car charger? This has happened at least two times already!"

Darien shrugged sheepishly, "I know, but it had never mattered much before."

When Molly's glare only deepened, he quickly returned her attention to the matter at hand, "Anyway, these people had a cat and she was really sweet and, well, she must have snuck into my bag before I left."

He looked helplessly down at Luna who had just finished cleaning and was now stretching her legs experimentally before wandering over to him expectantly. He automatically began petting her and she began purring, pulling a small smile from Darien even though his still felt like tugging on his hair in exasperation.

"Sooo," Molly began, watching them interact, "this cat is from California?"

"Molly, I need to track these people down," he glanced up at her pleadingly, "They must be really worried."

Molly smiled at his worry and then rolled her eyes, "I'll go get my laptop, since we both now you don't know the first thing about actually using your own."

"What?" Darien exclaimed, in mock hurt, "I do too! I just don't know how to stalk people. That's your job." He ended quite smugly, quickly jotting down the address he had been stranded at.

"Stalk people?! Ooohh," Molly began, stepping forward to shake her finger at him, but before she could really get going, Darien had scooped Luna up and turned to her with pleading eyes. "Please help me," he murmured in a rather high-pitched voice, waving one of Luna's tiny paws at Molly, "I only want to go home."

Molly fought to keep the angry look on her face, but quickly failed. "Fine, fine, I'll do it!" she stated, laughing.

"But in the meantime," she threw over her shoulder as she headed back toward her desk., "You'd better pick up some cat stuff."

Darien smiled, and looked down at Luna who was purring happily in his arms. "What do you say?" He murmured at her, "Want to go shopping?"

* * *

 

Serena was about ready to pull her hair out.

Alan had been gone for  _two hours_  and she still couldn't find Luna anywhere! She had just gotten off the phone with both Amy and Lita who had promised to be over as soon as they could to help her look. Amy had been quite soothing on the phone – "She's got to be there somewhere, Serena. I'm sure we'll be able to find her in no time." – and Lita had tried to help Serena calm down by offering to bring some of her ever-popular scones – "I just made a new batch for the bakery, so I'll snag us some of those!"

Both girls were very surprised, then, when the Serena who answered the door looked both paler than normal and declined Lita's scones.

They exchanged worried glances and carefully followed Serena into her apartment, listening as she rattled off all the places she had looked already.

" – and I've opened pretty much every can I have in the house and nothing!" she wailed, as she led them into the kitchen.

And, indeed, she had. The counters were full of soup cans, cans of beans, tomato sauce, fruit. Her entire pantry of cans had been opened, creating a rather nauseating smell that had the other girls wrinkling their noses.

"No wonder she didn't want to eat," Lita muttered to Amy. The joke was only half-hearted, however, as both girls could see that Serena was miserable.

"Hey, don't worry girl!" Lita exclaimed, walking over and putting her arm around Serena's shoulders as she sniffled. "We'll find Luna. No way would she be hiding forever. She loves you too damn much, and who else is going to feed her more than they should?"

"But that's just the thing!" Serena exclaimed, her eyes a bit frenzied, "I don't even think she's here!"

Amy furrowed her brow, "You mean you think she escaped from the building completely?"

"Yes," Serena sniffled, "And no."

The girls exchanged worried glances again as Serena blew her nose with a paper towel Lita had brought with the scones. "It just – it feels like she's not here."

When her friends still looked confused, she sighed. "Not just in this building, or on this street, but even in this-this city."

When they didn't say anything, Serena just shook her head. "I know it doesn't make any sense, but I can just – I can feel it, okay?"

Lita still look confused, but Amy nodded kindly. "I understand that you're worried Serena, but we'll find her, okay? Why don't we call Raye right now and we can design a poster with Luna's information to put around town?"

"Yeah," agreed Lita, coming up beside Serena and hugging her to her side once more, "You can do the graphics and Raye can use that new printer she's always bragging has revolutionized the way she does her paperwork. Then we'll get Mina and we'll pass them around! Luna can't have gone far."

Serena nodded, but inside she couldn't help but feel that it would all be for nothing.

_Luna,_  she wondered hopelessly,  _Where are you?_

* * *

 

An hour later, Darien sat on his desk and laughed uproariously as Luna chased a laser point around his floor.

Just then, the door to his office opened and his partner Andrew walked in. "Is this her?" he asked, leaning down and trying to coax Luna toward him. She quickly ran back to Darien, who nodded, scooping her up easily and scratching her under her chin.

"Yeah. Molly should have her owner's phone number any minute now."

Andrew chuckled a bit. "If that's the case, are you planning on returning all this stuff?"

Darien looked around and found himself fighting a blush. He may have gone a bit overboard in terms of how much stuff he had gotten for Luna. Not only did she now have a food and water dish and a bed, he had gotten her a scratching post, a jungle gym, and a large assortment of toys. He had been easy prey for the woman at the pet store, who had been happy to show him "everything a cat would need."

"I wanted to make sure she was comfortable." He sniffed, setting Luna back down on the ground and watching as she scampered toward the jungle gym.

"Comfortable?" Andrew guffawed, "This place looks like a freaking cat palace!"

Darien rubbed the back of his neck balefully and decided that Andrew didn't need to know about the duplicate items in his car that he would be taking back to his apartment with him. You know, just in case.

"Look, I'll contact Serena, her owner, as soon as I get her number, but Luna will have to stay here a couple days anyway, until I can fly down to California again."

"Wait," Andrew looked shocked, "You mean you'll be going back down yourself?"

Darien shrugged, "I might as well. That way I'll know everything worked out fine and it's really the most respectful thing to do since it's technically  _my fault_  that Luna ended up all the way across the country from her home."

There was a brief pause then Andrew nodded his head wisely. "Ah," he said, as if this explained everything, "so she's pretty, huh?"

"Who's pretty?"

"The cat's owner. This," Andrew rolled the name around on his tongue, "Se-ren-a."

Darien looked up at Andrew and glared, once again fighting down a blush.

"That has nothing to do with anything!"

"Suuure it doesn't." Andrew replied, smugly. It was about time Darien became interested in a woman. He was polite to everyone, sure, but he never went out of his way to  _meet_  people. Andrew was always on his case about finding someone nice and settling down. He had been lucky to find his girlfriend, Rita, but could he be blamed for wanting his best friend to be as happy as him? Of course, Andrew had always hoped it would be someone  _nearby_ , but at least it was a start.

"Andrew," Darien sighed, exasperated. "Seriously?"

"C'mon, throw me a bone," Andrew replied, grinning.

Darien ran his hands through his hair and then shrugged. "Okay, yes, the girl is very pretty and very nice. I had a very good time talking to her while I waited for someone to come change my tire and, if she was nearby, I think we could have become good friends."

He held up his hands as Andrew groaned loudly and rolled his eyes. "Yes! Friends! Okay? What's wrong with that?"

"Wrong with – ?" Andrew leaned against the wall brooding, "Nothing, absolutely nothing. I just want you – "

" – to be happy," Darien finished with him, "I know." Darien shrugged, "But I am happy."

They were silent for a moment, both watching Luna happily batting at a small ball.

"Besides," Darien adjusted his shoulders uncomfortably, "she has a boyfriend."

Andrew looked over at Darien who immediately noticed the wheels spinning behind his eyes, so he quickly added, "They're living together."

"That doesn't mean anything." Andrew insisted, quietly.

Darien chuckled just as quietly, "That means everything."

They were silent again and even though just a moment before he had been feeling a little depressed, Darien felt himself smiling as Luna pushed the ball toward his foot. Leaning down, he scooped up the ball and tossed it in the air experimentally. "Maybe I'll get a cat."

Andrew smirked as Darien threw the ball and Luna chased it across the room, "And become a lonely, crazy cat lady?"

Darien shrugged and grinned back, "Maybe."

Just then the door opened and Molly came in with a piece of paper held up in victory. "I found her!"

* * *

 

Serena paced in front of the couch, glaring at first the window and then the kitchen archway as she continuously changed directions, every once in a while glancing at the pink cell phone lying in the middle of her coffee table, ready to pounce if it made any noise.

Lita, Amy, Mina, and Raye watched her warily as she stalked back and forth. They were arranged on her couch and chairs after having spent most of the morning taping LOST CAT posters across town with Luna's picture and information, including Serena's cell number. Of course, their work had sped up immensely when Mina flirted with a group of guys who immediately offered to "help the nice ladies find their cat". Now, all they could do was wait.

Already they had gotten three false tips and one order for a pepperoni pizza, which had left Serena quivering with rage, but they all knew most of her anger was just a cover. Even with all her glaring, her eyes looked quietly devastated.

Raye exchanged glances with Lita, who nodded at her. If they let Serena continue like this, she would be exhausted, and they both knew letting Serena ignore her sadness for too long would make it worse on her later. So Raye squared her shoulders and did what she did best. She chastised her friend.

"Serena, will you knock it off? You're going to wear a hole in the floor!" Raye admonished, causing Serena to freeze in her tracks in surprise. "Not to mention you're giving me one hell of a headache."

Lita grinned as she saw Serena puffing up a bit in actual anger. An outsider to their group might think that all Raye and Serena did was argue, but they'd be surprised to learn that there's was a relationship built on mutual respect and trust. They just liked to be able to blow off some steam.

"Well, excuse me," Serena retorted, hands on hips, "but I don't know what else I'm supposed to do!"

And just like that her shoulders wilted, her head drooped, and her hair brushed the floor. The girls quickly surrounded her and led her to the couch where she collapsed in a small pile of pale limbs and blonde hair.

"I'm so scared you guys! What if she's hurt or in trouble?"

"There, there," Mina said soothingly, putting her arm around the smaller girl, "You know Luna. She's probably rallying a small army of cats and is right now working to overthrow the government for a lower tuna tax or something!"

Raye snorted and elbowed Mina aside, ignoring her "Hey!" and shoving the tissue Amy had quietly been offering into Serena's hand.

"Look, Odango. Luna is a smart cat. But more than all of that, for whatever reason, she loves you very much. She'll make it back here, one way or another."

Serena gave Raye a watery smile and blew her nose loudly. "Thanks, Raye."

"Yeah!" cheered Lita enthusiastically, "Plus we practically redecorated the town with those posters. There won't be a citizen around who isn't looking for Luna!"

Amy nodded, perched primly on the couch on Serena's other side. "The odds of finding Luna soon are extremely high now, Serena. Try not to worry."

Serena gave a small giggle and wrapped her arms around Raye and Amy. "You guys are the best!"

"Woohoo, group hug!" Mina squealed, throwing herself atop them and, thereby, quickly muffling Raye's protests.

The entire group erupted into a fit of giggles which lasted over a minute before being abruptly cut short by the sharp ring of a cell phone.


	3. Chapter 3

 

Darien responded to Andrew's thumbs up with a roll of his eyes before spinning his chair away to dial the number Molly had given him for a Serena Tsukino. He didn't have to wait long before the phone was answered by a breathy voice, "Hello?"

"Hello, Serena? It's Darien Chiba, the guy with the flat tire. Look, I'm both embarrassed and happy to say that it seems your cat, Luna, snuck into my bag last night before I left for the airport. She's fine, she's safe. I would have called sooner but – "

His careful explanation was interrupted by an indignant shriek. "You took my cat?!"

"What?" Darien was both surprised and suddenly very, very nervous. This was not how he thought this would go. "No, I – "

"I cannot believe you! I let you into my apartment, into my home! I let you use my cell phone! I-I offered you popcorn!"

In another situation, Darien would have been amused that that had made it onto her list, but he was a little too busy trying to defend himself from the irate woman now yelling at him.

"No, I didn't – " he began, only to be interrupted yet again.

"What kind of a monster are you, taking someone's cat? This is outrageous! You-you cat-napper!"

At that, Darien did chuckle. Suddenly the whole situation was just ridiculous. Here he was trying to assure her that her cat was safe, and she was screaming at him like a banshee. Though, to be fair, she had probably been extremely worried.

"Did you – did you just laugh?" She shrieked, and this time Darien had to move his phone away from his ear with a wince.

With a sigh, he tried again. "Look I know you must have been worried – "

"Worried? Worried?! You bet your pretty ass I was worried! I've been going crazy! We put posters all over town and – "

"You think my ass is pretty?"

Darien heard Andrew guffaw behind him and couldn't keep the smirk off his face when he was meant with stunned silence. When Serena spoke again she was stuttering, but at least her voice was noticeably quieter.

"I – that's not what I – I mean, that has nothing to do with – "

Darien leaned forward in his chair with a full-on grin, but decided to put her out of her misery. "Look, Serena. I think we can both agree that this was all a big mistake, okay? As much as I liked petting Luna at your house, I would  _never_  have purposefully taken her away from you."

There was another long pause and when Serena spoke again she sounded petulant.

"I suppose."

"I mean, if I had been a – what did you call me? – a ‘cat-napper’, why would I have called you to tell you I had your cat?"

Serena scoffed, "I don't know! Maybe-Maybe you were calling for a ransom?"

Darien laughed again, but then quieted as he heard a brief scuffle on the other end and the distant sound of another woman yelling something that sounded oddly like "Oh dang, go!" or maybe she had said "Oh, doritos!" Darien wasn't really sure.

"You okay there?"

"Yep, yep, I'm here, just – ow, Mina, watch your elbows!"

Another, higher voice then sounded through his earpiece, "Sorry Sere, Raye can be very tenacious when she's – oh my god she  _bit_ me!"

Another, lower voice then joined the others, "Okay you two, that's enough. Up you come! Serena can't have a proper discussion with Mr. Pretty Ass if you're both here beating each other – "

"Lita!" Serena whined.

The three other voices retreated and, by straining, Darien caught a  _fourth_ , much quieter voice talking to Serena, "Sorry about that, Serena. We'll just be in your room until you..." before it too trailed away.

There was a moment of silence that Darien almost didn't want to break, but it didn't seem like Serena wanted to either, so he ventured out a quiet, "Sooo, that was...?"

"Four of my friends, yes."

Darien tried to hold it in, but he couldn't stop himself from snorting and was more than a little happy when Serena's tinkling laugh soon joined his over the phone.

"I really am sorry about that," she murmured, "They were here to help me look for Luna and then you called."

Darien nodded, and then realized she couldn't see him. "Serena, I really am terribly,  _terribly_  sorry that this happened. I'm sure you were really worried. I wanted to call you sooner, but I didn't have your number so I had to wait until my secretary found it."

He took Serena not answering as a good sign and decided to continue. "And she's quite happy here – " He heard a slight squawk and quickly works to smooth things over before she could yell at him again. "Obviously not as happy as she would be at home with you, but she's already been fed and is sleeping quite peacefully on my couch."

And, indeed, Luna was currently curled up on the leather couch Darien had placed in the corner of his office a couple months ago at Andrew's insistence.  _"You know, in case you want to take a nap every once in a while_. _"_  Not that he ever did. But he was glad Luna seemed to be making good use of it.

"I suppose that's better than some of the things I was  _imagining_  had happened to her."

Darien chuckled again, "I'm sure."

He turned his chair back around and waved his hand at Molly, who came rushing forward with her planner of his schedule, quickly flipping to the current week and pointing to the next day he was available.

"I have meetings over the next two days, but I can fly down to deliver Luna on Wednesday, if that's okay for you?"

"Wednesday?!" Darien pulled his phone back again and winced. The shrieking was back. "Are you kidding me? That's my cat! I can't believe you're placing the importance of your  _job_  over the life and well-being of an animal!"

For the first time since meeting her, Darien felt a spark of anger. "I'm not just thinking about my  _job_ , Ms. Tsukino. The deal I am attempting to close will help create jobs for over one thousand people in an area that desperately needs it. Otherwise, I assure you I would not wait."

Again, there was silence on the other end. When Serena spoke again she sounded rather contrite. "You said Wednesday?"

Darien sighed and allowed himself a small grin, "Yes. I can do Wednesday."

* * *

 

Serena hung up the phone, not quite satisfied with how things had gone, but at least happy that Luna was safe. All the way across the country in  _Boston_ , but safe.

"You done?" Serena glanced up to see Lita sticking her head out of the bedroom. When she nodded, the girls all filed out of the room – Amy carefully walking between Raye and Mina – and made themselves comfortable once again.

"So you've found her?" Lita asked, plopping herself down in Serena's armchair.

Serena sighed and nodded, "Yeah, she's in Boston."

"She's what?!" "How did that happen?" "Oh my goodness." "How did she walk that far in a day?!"

That last comment had Raye all but reaching for Mina's throat, though the blonde looked quite confused as to what she had done wrong, but Serena quickly shushed them all.

"I've been so worried about Luna that I guess I didn't fill you guys in on what happened last night."

"Oh shit, did Alan finally – you know?" Lita asked, winking.

"Oh god, Lita!" Serena groaned, blushing madly. "Please stop asking me that!"

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you! If he's not making you happy then – "

"Odango, just tell us what happened!" Raye interrupted, shooting Lita a look that had the brunette leaning back into her chair and pouting.

"Well, I was making popcorn when I heard the doorbell ring. Normally I wouldn't have answered because, you know, serial killers and all..."

Raye rolled her eyes while Mina nodded approvingly.

"...but Alan was in the bathroom so I figured it was okay. Anyway, when I answered the door, there was a man outside saying his car had a flat tire and that he needed to borrow a phone because his batteries were dead."

"That sounds...suspicious." Raye said, flatly.

"That's what  _I_  would have thought, but he seemed very nice and rather embarrassed – "

"Which could have been an act." Lita pointed out.

"Well, yes, but it wasn't! And then he saw Luna and got all excited – "

"So he stole Luna?!" Mina yelped.

"No! No, he just wanted to pet her and, get this, Luna let him!"

The girls all looked suitably impressed and let her continue.

"Anyways, so he came in, though Alan didn't want him to, and – "

"Why not?" Lita interrupted.

"What?"

"Why didn't Alan want him to come in?"

"That does seem important." Amy broke in, "If Alan thought it wasn't safe, you probably shouldn't have let him in."

"No, it was more out of," Serena searched for the right word, "jealously, I think."

"Jealousy?" Amy's eyebrows scrunched down.

"Well yeah, Darien was kind of," Serena examined her fingers carefully, "umm, attractive?"

There was silence for a moment and then Mina sat up straight on the couch, holding her arm up like a general in war. "To Facebook!" she declared.

"What?" Serena's head shot up, "Mina, that's really not necessary – "

"Oh it most certainly is!" Lita argued, moving over to the couch as Mina whipped out her phone, Raye already leaning close to see the screen.

Even Amy had moved around to the back of the couch to look over their shoulders.

"Amy?!" Serena exclaimed in shock.

At least Amy had the grace to blush, though she didn't move from her spot. "Well, it would be nice to place a face to his name."

"Ugh, you guys are ridiculous!"

"Full name, Odango." Raye said.

"What?"

"What's. His. Full. Name?" she said slowly, snapping her fingers in Serena's direction. "We can't work miracles with a name as common as Darien."

Serena sighed, but gave in. They would have found him sooner or later, even without her cooperation. "Chiba. His name is Darien Chiba."

"Darien...Chiba...Boston!" Mina exclaimed, excitedly, "Here he is!"

The girls huddled closely around the phone and Serena watched as their eyes got wider and wider with every swipe of Mina's finger.  _Oh great,_  she thought,  _here it comes_.

"Oh. Shit." Lita breathed out. And then they were all talking at once.

"You didn't tell us he was gorgeous!" Mina squealed, almost throwing her phone at Serena, but quickly become entranced by the screen again.

"I'm impressed, Odango. This guy is hot."

"He is one  _fine_  piece of man meat." Lita agreed, leaning over Mina's shoulder again, but only after giving Serena a thumbs up. "Good job opening your door for that one."

"Door?" Mina cut in again, "I would have opened my  _bed_."

"He is quite attractive."

They all went silent at this admission from Amy, turning to stare at her and causing her to blush even more. “I mean, it’s innate in most heterosexual human beings to be attracted to a member of the opposite sex who possesses the best genes for optimal – "

"Amy, Amy," Mina shifted around until she was perched on the back of the seat with her arm around Amy's shoulders. "It's okay to admit that a man is hot. Especially – " she held up her phone again, "this one!"

"Guuuyyys," Serena whined, "Can you please stop drooling over him now?"

Mina gasped and Lita just scoffed. "I can't believe you didn't mention him earlier," she reprimanded.

"Well, in case you forgot, my  _cat_ was missing!"

"What about last night?" Mina actually managed to look offended, "I totally would have sent you a snapchat if a man that good looking had ended up in my apartment."

"And that," Serena sniffed, "is because you have no sense of boundaries or propriety or – "

"Alright, so you had this perfect man in your apartment, but got a bit distracted," Raye said, effectively cutting Mina off as she started to puff up, "Then what happened?"

Serena shrugged. "He came in, used my phone, and we talked until his help showed up."

"About what?" "What was he like?" "Was he nice?" "Did he smell good?"

This time, they all just decided to ignore Mina's question.

"He was very nice." Serena answered, "We didn't talk about a lot of personal stuff. He told me he was heading back to Boston and that he was here for work, but besides that, we just...talked. You know, like what shows we like, what music we listen to, what we do in our free time. That sort of stuff."

"Sounds like a first date to me," Lita murmured, slyly. Serena rolled her eyes.

"I say you friend him on Facebook." Mina said, nodding her head decisively.

"What? Why would I want to do that?"

"Well, he's gorgeous for one."

"And he does have Luna." Lita, joined in helpfully.

Serena looked to Raye, who merely shrugged. "It might not be a bad idea. Yes, he's attractive, but it might make communication with him easier too. How did you say you're getting Luna back?"

Serena plopped down on the floor and pulled a pillow into her lap.

"He's going to deliver her on Wednesday because he has meetings over the next two days."

"He's coming here?!" Lita and Mina shrieked, simultaneously.

"Well how else would he give her back to me?" Serena asked, exasperated.

"His profile did make it seem like he does quite well financially." Amy quietly pointed out. "Chances are good he has someone he could send in his place."

Serena shrugged, "Well like I said, he's a nice guy. And it is  _his fault_  that Luna isn't here, so it makes sense."

They were all silent for a couple minutes then, lost in their own thoughts.

"So," said Mina, after a while, causing them all to look up. "Who wants to hang out here on Wednesday?"

* * *

 

"Soooo," Andrew drawled, wandering over to Darien's desk as Darien placed his receiver down with a sigh of relief. "She sounds  _exciting_."

Darien chuckled, "She's got spirit, I'll give her that. Thanks Molly." He murmured, as Molly slid her planner out from under his arm. "Though I can't blame her, I  _do_  have her cat."

"Well, Mr. Chiba," Molly said, pulling a pencil from behind her ear, "What should I pencil you in for?"

"Have my schedule cleared from Wednesday morning until Friday. The exact times will depend on what flights I can get on."

Molly nodded and headed towards the door. "I'll look into tickets right away and let you know."

"Thanks."

Andrew whistled, "A whole  _two days_? She must be something, Dare. You hardly even like being away over a day for  _business_ , let alone for  _pleasure_."

Darien snorted, "This isn't a vacation, Drew. I just want to make sure Luna is comfortable."

"...In her own home."

Darien decided to ignore Andrew's implications, and instead wandered over to the couch to sit beside Luna, who accepted his scratches readily.

"Look, all I'm saying is that you seem to be going out of your way a bit with this."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," he added quickly, as Darien glared at him, "I just hope you'll admit it to yourself, if not to me."

"Admit what?" Darien said, playing the innocent.

Andrew groaned, "That you like her, you dimwit!"

Darien shook his head, "I hardly know her, Drew!"

"But you liked talking to her, yes?"

"We passed the time quite nicely – "

"And you'd be happy to see her again?"

"Well, I mean I wouldn't  _object_  to seeing her or anything – "

"And you find her attractive?"

"Drew!"

Andrew help his hands up in defense. "There's nothing wrong with finding someone attractive, Darien. In fact, I'm glad to know you do. You were starting to have me worried."

Darien snorted, and continued to pet Luna, finding comfort in her soft purring. Maybe he  _should_  confide in Andrew, talk to him about some of the things that had been spinning around in his brain since he left that small apartment in California last night. Maybe he could even help.

"Let's just say, for the sake of an interesting discussion, that I did find her attractive." Darien stated hesitantly, not daring to look up, "So what?"

Andrew was silent, but a few moments later Darien felt the couch next to him sink under a new weight.

"Then, I would say why not pursue that attraction?"

"I already told you, she has a boyfriend."

"Yes, yes you did." Andrew said, quite seriously. "And normally, as a boyfriend myself, I would tell anyone asking that that is a  _definite_  sign that they shouldn't pursue a relationship."

He let that sink in for a moment, and then continued. "But you are not just anyone."

Darien looked up in confusion.

Andrew sighed. "Let's face it, Dare. You don't date. You never really did, no matter how many women were interested, or how much you respected the woman in question. You just never responded. So the fact that someone has caught your eye makes me think that you  _have_ to pursue this. Even if she's all the way across the country, even if she has a boyfriend, even if it doesn't lead to anything. If you don't, wouldn't you always wonder, you know, what if?"

Darien opened his mouth to reply and then closed it. Was that true?

"Just think about it, okay?"

After Andrew left, Darien sat petting Luna until he lost track of time, letting his fingers slip through her soft fur and allowing his breath to match the waves of her purr. Then he realized something very important.

He was  _exhausted_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't planned on having the scenes between Serena and her friends and Darien and Andrew after the phone call, but somehow they ended up being written. And I'm actually really happy with how they turned out :) I don't know if guys do this, but I know my friends definitely would.
> 
> Please, PLEASE leave me a review if you like what you read! And even if you didn't :) I love feedback!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I'm taking a lot longer to update this story than my other one. These chapters are much longer than my other story, so it can be a bit harder to write. BUT I think I have a better idea of where it's headed so yay!  
> Unfortunately for you, dear readers, it is not yet Wednesday in the lives of our characters, though, so Darien and Serena will just have to wait a bit longer to see each other again.

Monday passed quickly for Darien. The meetings he had went well and when he headed toward his apartment that night he felt satisfied that the deal he had made would go over perfectly. Putting his key in the door he happily envisioned the beautifully chilled glass of wine he would pour for himself once he entered.

Before he could do anything, though, he was met at the door by a small mewling ball of fur.

"Hello, Luna," he chuckled, pulling off his shoes and then scooping her up. "Did you miss me?"

He took her purrs to be answer enough.

"What say you and I go treat ourselves?"

Soon enough, Darien was settled on the couch with his glass of wine and a book, while Luna devoured a small bowl of tuna in the kitchen.

He didn't get very far before she returned, pushing his book out of the way so she could curl up in his lap. Darien chuckled again. For the first time that he could remember, Darien felt perfectly content. It was odd, because while he was very happy in his apartment, no amount of furniture or knickknacks could ever make it feel…complete. The paraphernalia he had bought for Luna certainly helped with that because, more than take up space, it signaled that another living creature resided here. He was proud of his home – the small art collection he possessed had even garnered him a name in the Boston art community – but at the end of the day, when he came back he was always alone.

He didn't  _dislike_  that, per se. He was used to being alone. He had been a rather quiet and reclusive child at the orphanage and, even now, he didn't have many friends outside of Andrew. In fact, after a long day of meetings or hours spent doing paperwork in the office, he  _craved_  solitude. But sometimes he envied what Andrew had. To be able to come home after a long day at work and talk to someone about everything. Or maybe, not to talk at all. To simply  _be._

Solitude was peaceful. It was calming, relaxing, and allowed Darien to recuperate before another day of work. But sometimes he wished he had someone to share his solitude with.

Darien could practically hear Andrew now, telling him that he needed a girlfriend.

Was Serena the first girl who had caught his eye in a while? Yes. Did that mean that he was ready to drop everything and try to be with her? No! Of course, that wasn't quite what Andrew had suggested… but wasn't it? In some way? Andrew thought Darien should go there and see what happened, but Darien already knew that nothing would happen. Mainly because nothing _could_  happen. Not only was Serena already in an obviously serious relationship, but Darien didn't have the time to try to date someone, especially someone who lived on the other side of the country. The very notion was ridiculous.

Not that Darien had thought about it or anything. So Serena was pretty. So he found himself remembering certain moments in their conversation when she had looked particularly passionate or said something especially interesting. So what? Andrew saw it as a sign that Darien liked her, but maybe it was just a sign that he was finally ready to start dating again.

After this deal went through he would have at least a couple of weeks before he traveled anywhere else. Maybe he should try to ask someone out. Someone nearby. What had been the name of that woman he had met at the art gallery a couple months ago? He remembered her red hair and the fact that she had slipped her business card into his pocket, but not much else. Amber was it? Or maybe Annie? He remembered it had started with an 'A'…

Darien shook his head. He was letting Andrew, and Serena, get to him. Looking down at his lap he smiled. What he should be thinking about was getting a cat!

Of course, this brought back the discussion he had started to have with himself when he first got on the plane back to Boston, before he fell asleep. How could he have a cat if he was never home? Sure, cats do better on their own then, say, dogs do, but that didn't mean he could abandon the animal a couple days every week or two. That wasn't a good environment to put an animal in.

Maybe, he could take the cat with him? Of course, then he'd have to find hotels that accepted animals and who knew if a cat he got would be okay flying that much anyway.

He loved his work, but it sure got in the way of everything else.

Darien sighed. In truth, though, that was no one's fault but his own. Andrew had always told him they could just hire more workers so that Darien didn't have to fly all over the country making contacts himself, but Darien had insisted that he liked it. And usually, he did. He liked going new places and meeting new people; inspecting a business at the site and working with its owners and staff from the beginning – helping them rebuild it from the ground up. Andrew didn't get to do that. Did he get more time with Rita? Yes. Did he get to put down roots and really make a place his home? Of course. But Darien always figured that when he wanted to do that, he could. He just didn't want to yet. Right?

Luna stretched and then yawned, before repositioning herself so that half her body rested over Darien's open book.

Darien smiled. He didn't think he was ready to settle down quite yet, but maybe, soon, he would be.

* * *

 

"I'll take a Sex on the Beach, bartender. And make it dirty."

Serena rolled her eyes as Mina winked and leaned on the counter that separated them. "You do realize that that makes absolutely  _no_ sense, right?"

Raye snorted, raising her own glass of red wine to her lips, "Maybe you should actually give her what she asks for, for once. Then she'll learn not to order like an idiot."

Lita grimaced. "Please don't. The last thing I need is Mina throwing up on my shoes again. These are new!"

"That happened one time and I had the flu!" Mina exclaimed, trying to simultaneously glare at her friends while also flashing a smile at a couple of men further along the bar.

Amy carefully leaned forward on the stool next to her, effectively cutting off any further communication between her friend and the two strangers now leering back at her.

"Mina, you really shouldn't be flirting with two strange men who already look far too drunk for a Tuesday night." Amy murmured, accepting the virgin Daiquiri Serena had made her with a smile. Amy wasn't opposed to drinking, she just didn't like doing it on a week night.

Mina pouted, "Aw, come on! I can't afford to keep coming out with you guys if I can't get someone else to pay for my drinks."

Raye shook her head, "So then why aren't you looking for a real job?"

"Modeling is a real job!" Mina said, angrily, though her expression quickly became rather morose. "It's just really hard to do without an agent."

"Don't worry, Meens," Serena said, placing a Sex on the Beach, without any form of olive in it, in front of her friend. "You only started recently. I'm sure you'll have an agent soon. Have you heard back from the company you contacted yet?"

Mina shook her head, fiddling with the straw of her drink, "No. They should get back in touch with me by the end of next week, but at this point I'm kinda losing hope, you know?"

"I'm sure they'll get back to you soon," Lita said, leaning onto the bar to catch Mina's eyes. "And if they don't take you, then it's their loss."

Raye cleared her throat lightly and patted Mina on the back, obviously feeling a bit bad that she had snapped at her friend earlier. "And if you want, I can put you in touch with the man who does the advertisements for the temple. I know he works with some of the other local businesses and they might need more people for their ads and commercials."

Mina looked up in surprise and then a grin lit up her face. "Really?" she squealed. "I've always wanted to be in a commercial."

"Oh no," Raye said, putting her head in her hands as Mina began gushing about her dreams of becoming an actress, dreams they had all heard about for years. "What have I done?"

"A good thing," Lita said, slinging her arm around Raye's shoulders as Amy watched on bemusedly. "A very good thing."

Serena rolled her eyes and headed back down the bar to her other customers. At this point, Butler's was pretty empty. Amy was right – not many people came in on a Tuesday night, and if they did they usually only came for dinner or for one drink and then returned home. Besides a few tables, which she didn't have to worry about tonight, the only customers besides her friends were an elderly man who came in pretty regularly for a beer and the two rather drunk men Mina had attempted to flirt with earlier.

Serena had worked at Butler's for almost a year now. Sometimes she waited on tables during the lunch or dinner rush, and occasionally she worked the bar. She would soon even be helping out at the nightclub next door – The Silver Crystal – which her boss had only recently acquired. He was planning a big official "reopening" celebration for later this week. Personally, she thought he needed to come up with a new name for it stat, but Melvin Butler didn't seem like someone who should be buying a night club in the first place. Still, if it gave her more chances to work…

She supposed she should be happy. She had a job that paid, her boss and her coworkers were nice, she had a relatively nice apartment, a boyfriend, what more could she ask for? And yet, she couldn't help but want more.

She had gone to college, but the entire time she had felt relatively lost. She had done okay in all her classes – not great, but not failing either – and at the end of four years she had gotten a Communications major with a minor in Computer Science. She had done everything she was supposed to, but what they didn't tell you was that all your work was useless unless you had a plan. And that was one thing Serena had always lacked.

After she graduated, she had realized she had no idea what she wanted to do. She never had. She had enjoyed going to school, having a routine, hanging out with her friends, but when they got together and talked about their dreams and their plans for the future, she had always stayed quiet.

Having spent much of her childhood in Japan, Raye had always been passionate about introducing the people around her to the culture of her home, so it was no surprise that she ended up owning and running a Japanese shrine. Now, on a daily basis, she worked to cultivate a better understanding of Japanese religion. Amy had always wanted to be a doctor, like her mother, and was just now finishing up her residency. For a while, Lita hadn't been sure what she wanted to do, until she realized that she could make a living with her love of cooking, and, after taking all the necessary business classes, within a year created a name for herself in their community with her own bakery. Even Mina, while struggling to make ends meet like Serena had herself, had more drive, had more of a direction, than Serena had ever had. Her friends had  _purpose_. And Serena couldn't help but think that this life, this job, was not hers. The problem was, she didn't know what  _was_.

With a smile, Serena greeted her elderly customer as she took the empty glass from the counter in front of him.

"Can I get you anything else, Mr. Lee?" she asked, kindly. Sometimes, if no one else came in, Serena would sit by him and listen while he told her stories of his old friends or his family. Usually, he told her the same ones over and over, but she didn't really mind. It was nice to be needed.

"Just my bill I think, Serena," he said, smiling, "it's about time I get these aching bones to bed."

Nodding her head, Serena closed up his tab and waved him goodbye.

"Hey!" A voice drawled from behind her and Serena winced. She had known she'd eventually have to check up with the two men at the end of the bar currently finishing their fifth round, but she had hoped they might magically disappear. She wasn't too worried about them causing trouble, but she never looked forward to telling a customer they were cut off. They never were very happy about it.

Turning around, Serena pasted a smile on her face and walked over. "Will you boys be wanting to close your tabs now? It's getting pretty late." she asked, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"Whosur friend down there?" One of the men asked, his words slurring together rather painfully.

"Yeah, we'd liketa meeter." The other chimed in, nudging his friend unsteadily.

Serena shook her head and tried to look sympathetic. "I'm afraid to say she's not actually interested." She leaned forward conspiratorially, "I think she was just trying to make her girlfriend jealous."

She tried not to burst out laughing at the shocked and confused expressions they wore and instead quickly headed to the cash register. "I'll just close your tabs for you guys and let you be on your way then!"

Luckily for her, they seemed too dumbfounded to put up a fight and, with a happy sigh, Serena walked back to her friends.

"Any trouble?" Lita asked, looking up from whatever argument Raye and Mina were having now to survey Serena. "I was a little worried those guys wouldn't leave without Mina's number. Or Mina herself."

"Oh, it's fine." Serena said, waving her hand casually, "I just told them Mina and Raye were dating."

Mina's eyes widened and her fingers paused where they dangled a cherry she had snagged from behind the bar in front of Raye's face. Raye's cheeks simply turned as red as the wine she had almost finished.

"You said what?!" she spluttered, becoming even redder as Lita began loudly guffawing next to her and Amy hid her smile behind her hand. "Serena!"

"Hey, if it had meant distracting them so I could kick them out without having a fight, I would have claimed to be a lesbian myself!"

Mina still hadn't moved and Raye angrily knocked the cherry from her hand, "Well don't just sit there. Aren't you mad at all?"

Mina sat forward slightly, "And they believed it?"

Serena nodded, not quite sure what Mina was going for. The men had, after all, been quite drunk.

Mina leaned back and then nodded her head slowly, a smile growing on her face until she was beaming. "I knew it! I knew I could be an actress!"

"What?" Raye screeched, as Lita burst into laughter again. Even Amy was laughing this time.

Serena shook her head and began wiping down the bar as Raye and Mina argued about whether one could be acting a part they hadn't known existed. No matter how much she might sometimes dislike her job or her life, one thing she knew for sure she wouldn't change were her friends.

"Speaking of relationships, have you friended Darien on Facebook yet, Serena?"

_On second thought…_

Serena turned to glare at Lita, but Mina quickly pounced. "Oh yes! Serena you really need to do that!"

Serena shook her head, grabbing Lita's empty bottle and depositing it in the recycling bin. "No, I really don't."

"Aw, c'mon Sere, what are you afraid of?" Lita asked.

"Maybe coming off as desperate or annoying?" Serena said, putting her hands on her hips, but Mina just waved her hands in front of her face as if to shoo away what Serena had said.

"That's ridiculous!"

"Maybe he'll appreciate the gesture and realize you wish to be friends." Amy said, passing her empty glass to Serena.

"Friends?" Mina asked, grasping at her chest as if wounded.

Raye rolled her eyes, "Friending someone on Facebook doesn't have to mean anything, Odango. You're reading too much into this. He already met you so it's not creepy, he has your cat so it's not weird, he knows you have a boyfriend so it won't look desperate AND" she said, ticking off her fourth finger, "it's not like you're going to message him constantly so I doubt he would find it annoying."

Mina nodded eagerly, "And if he happens to message you sometime wondering what you're wearing – "

"I'd delete him." Serena said firmly, taking Mina's glass and slapping her hand away from the cherry she was about to steal.

"See?" said Lita, "You know exactly what you're doing, so there'll be no harm done!"

Serena surveyed her friends and sighed. "If I friend him, will you guys stop bugging me?"

Amy nodded, Raye shrugged, and both Lita and Mina shook their heads.

"Whelp," she said, pulling out her phone, "At least you're all honest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finding that I really love writing scenes between Serena and her friends. I just love the opportunities for back and forth conversations and lighthearted fun! I hope you don't mind that I'm taking a lot of time to dig into the minds of our protagonists, as well, though. I'm doing my best not to make it boring because I think it's important to know what a character has been through so we can better understand their actions. Am I doing okay?  
> Please review :)


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